One of the biggest concerns for c-commerce sellers is how to handle buyers that frequently return items. When a buyer returns an item, the process can be quite involved. The seller typically has to arrange to have the item returned, often in packaging, restock the returned item, and return the money to the buyer. These tasks consume valuable seller resources. Additionally, when it comes to certain e-commerce sites, such as eBay, the seller not only loses the sale revenue that has to be returned to the buyer, but the seller is also typically responsible for the cost of the return label that is used by the buyer to return the item. Therefore, the seller has to pay for the buyer's decision to return the item.
A problem arises in how to expose e-commerce sellers to potential buyers that are less likely to return items. There are a lot of people who are chronic returners. These chronic returners shop, try something they like, and, even if they do not have any problem with the item, they still return it because they have a habit of buying something and then returning it as soon as possible. This chronic returning creates a problem for sellers, particularly small sellers that do not have the resources of big retailers.